British International
Amateur Film Festival
2006

Just a few thoughts on some of the films John and I saw at BIAFF out of around 235 entries. Friday evening we saw the finalists of the Audio Visual Competition. I really enjoyed the colourful "My Generation". A re-union of Mods and Rockers 30 years on. Nice to know that they have all grown up responsible citizens, though still loving the clothes and music of their youth and of course their modes of transport. I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed "Italian Beds, Belgian Balls". A provocative title But it was about the making of billiard tables and balls. Apparently Welsh slate is now too expensive and the tables are made from Italian slate. Most of the rest of the week-end was taken up with watching films and I would like to have seen them all but with four mini cinemas running at the same time, choices have to be made.
We try to avoid seeing "Youth" films as they always seem to be miserable as was "Reasons" about a massacre in a school seen from ex-students points of view ten years later, in interviews. Well handled though. I was really won over by another youth film. It was called "Rocks" and was filmed in the wonderfully named village, Steeple Bumpstead, in Essex. Children dressed as grown up policemen and women, oh please, but they were all so good and threw in every corny joke possible and obviously had such a wonderful time filming in many different locations they held the whole audience in the palms of their hands! A group of the film makers were there and obviously delighted at the audience reaction. On the Sunday there were four sessions of the Award Winners Show. One film took up the whole session being 71 minutes long. "The Team" took seven years to make and was a stupendous undertaking. It was very well done in all departments but I have to say that when I realised it was about a gang of female criminals I was very disappointed. To my way of thinking amateur films are about the sort of entertainment that does NOT get shown on television. However, it won an international medallion and best editing, so who am I to say. Just to prove me wrong again when the winner of the Best Youth Entry, "Making Music" was shown, I was sorry that it was so short. It was filmed in Abbey Road Studios, yes, THAT Abbey road. I wonder if anyone else in the Club remembers Walter Ruddles and "Flight Of Fancy", which we borrowed from the IAC library some years ago. Well, Walter Ruddles has had another outing. The film is called "Extinction Event" and if you believe it, your end is near! Well, if Sir Patrick Moore who features in the film, says so, it must be true! This film won the Humour Award and Best British Entry.

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